Xauxa — Restaurant in Maó

We had a delightful dinner here on the port. Just opposite the ship passenger terminal is and always has been a row of restaurants and shops which we have always felt had looked a bit run down and a bit basic. Just for tourists. How wrong! A thriving and throbbing area of activity the majority of customers appear local, frequenting the several restaurants and bars. A delightful team at Xauxa (pronounced Shausha) looked after us and fed us royally with a selection of beautifully prepared modern Menorca dishes. And tasty! Four of us, who have all been visiting and eating on the Island for 40+ years were genuinely impressed with the quality of the food and overall experience and will definitely be returning. We loved the desert "menu", a tray of for beautifully prepared dishes which it was impossible to say no to. Reminiscent of the dessert trolleys of old but refreshingly modern. With wines and beers it was €40 a head so good...

We visited on a Thursday evening and were unfortunately quite disappointed. The menu was rather limited, particularly in terms of main courses. We chose the sea bream, but both fillets were full of bones, making them difficult to enjoy. They were served on a bed of overly oily crispy potatoes—so much so that my mother experienced stomach discomfort afterwards. The portion size was modest, with no vegetables or salad to accompany the dish, which left the plate feeling incomplete.

We also ordered the bread with tomato as a starter, but it took at least 20 minutes to arrive. It appeared that the service team was overstretched and struggling to keep up with the number of orders, though I must say the waitstaff were very pleasant and courteous throughout.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience that unfortunately put a damper on what had otherwise been a lovely day. Regrettably, I would not recommend this restaurant based...

Absolutely 5 stars for everything. If I can I will give 6 stars! Brioche relleno de costilla is so good! The rice of Mar y Montaña is perfect, I can’t find a better rice in Menorca..! All the croquetas are nice and especially the one of Calamar…! I didn’t notice the costilla de ternera is with Oriental BBQ sauce. As a girl from Shanghai, I feel the combination of my home food and western food from this dish. I suppose that all the western customers will like it. The waiter explained to us all the dishes and the service is really good. I can understand why every one gave 5 stars. (∩_∩) we will definitely come back…! Better to reserve...